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[Michaelangelica]

CO2 Effects on Grassland Soil Microorganisms Reference
Drissner, D., Blum, H., Tscherko, D. and Kandeler, E. 2007. Nine years of enriched CO2 changes the function and structural diversity of soil microorganisms in a grassland. European Journal of Soil Science 58: 260-269.
What it means

Certain scientists, such as Hungate et al. (2003), have claimed that the future availability of nitrogen will likely be too low to support large increases in plant growth over the long term, primarily because of their contention that when CO2 enrichment increases soil C:N ratios, "decomposing microorganisms require more nitrogen," and they contend that "this effect can reduce nitrogen mineralization," which they say is "the main source of nitrogen for plants."
However, Drissner et al. found that in their 9-year-long FACE experiment, "stimulation of enzyme activities in the enriched CO2 indicated enhanced C, N and P cycling and greater availabilities of nutrients for microbial and plant growth [our italics]."
And they go on to say that their results "support the hypothesis of positive feedback proposed by Zak et al. (1993), who stated that additional C stimulates microbial decomposition and thus leads to more available N under enriched CO2 [our italics]."

CO2 Science

Astrobiology Magazine reports that a team studying methanogens - microorganisms that produce methane - has demonstrated their ability to grow on the types of soil found on Mars.

For years Kral has studied methanogens, ancient microorganisms from the biological domain Archaea, as potential candidates for what life might look like on Mars.
At first glance, Mars appears unfriendly toward most life forms. The planet currently contains no detectable organic matter and has extremely cold surface temperatures.
However, methanogens seem to be a potential candidate for what life on Mars might look like -- they produce methane and live in harsh, anaerobic environments, such as the guts of animals, in deep parts of the ocean or in the Earth's crust.

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Isolation of Soil Microorganisms

Isolation of Soil Microorganisms
A Project for Elementary Grades

Title : Isolation of soil microorganisms
Objective : To isolate and count the microorganisms found in a sample of soil by the dilution method using aseptic techniques.

"Microorganisms carry out primary production in the deep subsurface, using chemical energy from rock weathering."
. . .
In the deep subsurface, where there is no oxygen, the oxidation of basalt minerals by water yields H2 gas.

Lithotrophic microorganisms, such as methanogens and homoacetogens use this H2 gas as an electron donor (fuel), and dissolved CO2 (from the atmosphere or mineral deposits) as an electron acceptor (oxidizer) to obtain energy. The products are methane gas or acetic acid and cell material.

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